Jewels Of The Arctic Expedition Report

August 5 - August 18, 2013

In August 2013 Daniel Bergmann and I co-lead a new 14 day / 13 night photographic expedition to Svalbard and Greenland - The Jewels of the Arctic. The trip set sail from Longyearbyen in Svalbard, Norway and took in the very best of Spitsbergen and Greenland before docking in Isafjordur in Iceland. Spitsbergen’s rugged northwest coast comprises mountains, tundra and fjords. Greenland’s remote east coast shows off the immensity of the icecap, fantastic icebergs and massive granite spires rising over 1000 metres above the fjords. The arctic landscape is one of untold splendour and beauty and this expedition was designed to maximise the photography opportunities. The expedition utilised an ice hardened expedition ship with a highly experienced crew in order to ensure we got as close as possible to big ice. This expedition offered a complete Arctic experience for photography: tundra walks amidst reindeer and exquisite dwarf vegetation, zodiac cruises near icebergs and calving glacier fronts, hikes to breathtaking mountain vistas and warm welcomes into indigenous communities. We saw and photographed reindeer, musk ox, countless sea and land birds, walrus, seals, whales and polar bears amongst the breathtaking arctic landscapes. We had nearly 24 hours of daylight with hours and hours of golden light. At our most northerly position we were approximately 600 miles from the North Pole. Please be sure to visit the Testimonials page for client feedback on what was an amazing workshop.